James h



1 (No Mdel.)

1.11. PHBLPS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

No. 293,511;V Patented Peb. 12; 1884.

messes N "NITED STATES JAMES H. FHELPS, OF SHARON, VISCONSIN.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 93,511, dated February 12, 1884,

i Application filed July 19, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.`

Be it known that I, JAMES H. PHELPs, a citizen of the United States, residing in Sharon, in the county of NValworth and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification. n

My invention 'consists in a rotary engine of novel construction specially adapted to obtain the greatest amount of benefit and expansive force of the steam.

The nature of the inventionwill be fully understood from the following description and the drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts. A

In said drawings, AFigure l is a vertical section of my improved engine, and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section` thereof upon line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a detail view, showing the pistonpacking.

In the drawings, A A represent the case or shell of the engine fitted with heads B.

In the larger part A ofthe case is the rotating piston O, carrying the abutment C', traversing the steam-space C, Upon this abutment is an adjustable packing device, c, secured thereto by bolts c', the bolt-opening through said packing being elongated, so that the same may A be set out and fit snugly against the interior of the `case A. The piston is mounted upon the shaft G3.

In the part Af ofthe case is the rotatingvalve l D of the same diameter as the solid part of the piston, with which it rotates in steam-tight contact. 'It rotates upon shaft D', and is provided with a recess, 132, which receives the abutment of the piston, and also serves the further purpose of admitting steam as it passes the ports e e e2 e3,.(shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,) and located in the head of the part A. These inlet-ports I use in such number as is desirable, and the rst one is preferably shaped, at the side which isrst uncovered, to conform to the valve-recess, substantially as shown, in orgeared together in the usual manner.

so that the steam will be shut off at once instead of gradually, as would be the case if the ports did not conform to the valve-recess. The steam passes through these ports only while they are uncovered by thevalve-recess, and inthe piston steam-space,whe1eby fresh steamis admitted to said space continuously from 'the time the first port is uncovered until 'the last one is completely closed.

To prevent passage of the steam in the opposite direction around the valve, a packing, G, is inserted in the case A', and projected against the periphery of the valve by set-screws H. These set-screws I prefer to make with two differentially-threaded portions. Thus. the part h may be threaded with a thread of-say, twelve to the inch-and thispart will engage with the case A,while the point h', which-is of less diameter, may be threaded with a pitch-say, sixteen to the inclinand engage in an opening in the packing G. The result of this feature is "that the packing may be adjusted with the nicety required, and jam-nuts H may be used with the screws H; The steam-outlet is at g, and as near as may be to the point where the abutment completes arevolution or stroke. By thus locating the outlet the maximum of benefit is received from the expansive force of the steam. The piston and valve are of course uniform in their speed of revolution, and are The abutment is inserted longitudinally and in the body of the cylinder, and the recess in which it is fitted is so shaped as to hold it very rigidly. In working the engine, steam is admitted by one, two, ormore of the ports e e' e2, accord` ing to the necessity of the work to be done, said ports being controlled in this regard by any suitable valve.

Supposing a sufficient amount of steam can be had through the first port, e, the operation is substantially as follows: Steam will of course issue from said port as soon as it is uncovered by the recess I)2 in the rotation of the valve, and will continue so to issue until, in the further revolution of the valve said port is closed. The steam thus admitted passes at first directly IOO and afterward by the passage F into the space C2 behind the abutment C. Inasmuch as the port e remains thus open during a considerable part of the rotation, a goodly quantity of steam is admitted to do duty, and its expansive force is felt by the piston until the out-port g is passed, and the motion thus obtained carries the parts around until the port e is again uncovered. It will be seen from this that if the port e be also open more steam will be admitted to the piston, and th at it' three or fourports be used at the same time, the quantity will be still larger, in the latter ease the steam being admitted during nearly one-half ofthe revolution.

It Will be'noticed that at the time the steam begins to issue into the space ZD'l the piston is abutment, of the valve formed with the recess D2 and rotating in unison with said piston, and the inlet-ports e e', opened and closed by said val-ve, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with the piston and its abutment, of the valve having the recess to re# cess, and inlet-ports opened and closed by said valve,\vith one or more sides corresponding to the recess in the valve, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

JAMES PHELPS.

Witnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, EDMUND ADoooK. 

